Danbury Railway Museum plans day of festivities

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published
8:00 pm EDT, Saturday, August 2, 2008

But on Saturday it will be the focus of a celebration at the Danbury Railway Museum on White Street, where visitors can see what it looked like 75 years ago, when trains were the backbone of the rapid mail delivery system in the United States.

Now completely restored and repainted the same Tuscan red as when it carried the mail on the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1920s and 1930s, and later on the New Haven Railroad through the 1950s, the car will be dedicated as part of the second annual Danbury Railway Day festivities.

A postal clerk will be working inside the car, canceling envelopes with a special rubber stamp depicting the car and its Pennsylvania Railroad number, 6563.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will also feature a train ride through the museum yard, demonstrations of railroading equipment, and special activities for children. Admission is $8 for members of the public over the age of 3, and $7 for museum members.

Museum volunteers, including project leaders Bill Britt and Art Slothower, spent some 2.5 years restoring the car and tacking down vintage equipment, including mailbags and lighting fixtures for the interior.

"Most of the car is metal, and it was completely rusted and without any windows," said Britt.

Once volunteers installed and reglazed the windows, they attacked the rust with scrapers and wire brushes, and patched the holes with epoxy. After the exterior was completed, they moved inside and spent more time restoring the interiors to original condition.

"They did a remarkable job. It looks like it's ready to carry the mail again," Pollack said.